DBS Raises More Than $70,000 For Charity Through Internet Banking Promotion

* * *

150% jump in new Internet Banking users each month

* * *

More Than 90,000 Bills Paid And 130,000 Fund Transfers Each Month

SINGAPORE, MAR 13 - DBS Bank said today that it has raised more than $70,000 for Club Rainbow through an on-line "Clover Bear" charity drive.

The on-line charity drive encouraged customers to log on to DBS Internet Banking to make donations of $8 or more to Club Rainbow, by using DBS Internet Banking's bill payment service. Customers could also choose to donate a "Clover Bear" to charity. This was part of DBS' ongoing efforts to educate customers on the ease, convenience and benefits of Internet Banking.

Managing Director of DBS EBusiness Group Bastari Irwan said that the response from our customers was fantastic, with more than 4,400 customers responding to calls for donations, with contributions that ranged from $8 to as much as $1,500.

"This charity drive turned out to be a win-win situation for all involved. We were glad to do our part in helping a good cause,' said Irwan.

"We were also delighted to see more people signing up for Internet Banking, and many are paying their bills or transferring funds on-line as a result of the charity drive."

Irwan said that DBS Internet Banking experienced a 150% increase in the number of new users each month, with an average of 20,000 customers activating their Internet accounts during this period.

DBS Internet Banking has more than 250,000 users to date, with more than 90,000 bills paid and 130,000 fund transfers made on-line each month. Of the fund transfers made, more than 10,000 were third party fund transfers, a feature introduced only late January this year.

Irwan said that DBS Internet Banking made donating to charity easy and convenient.

"The convenience of on-line donations means that you no longer need to write a cheque, put it into an envelope, put a 22-cent stamp and find a post-box to mail the donation," Irwan said.

"Donating through the Internet using the bill payment service is a hassle-free experience for customers, and the charity's account will be credited the next day."

All proceeds of the charity promotion will go to Club Rainbow, a charity that provides comprehensive support to families of children suffering from major chronic and life threatening illness. The proceeds will be used to develop strategic programmes for groups of children with different illnesses under Club Rainbow.

"We were deeply honoured when DBS asked us to be the beneficiary of their on-line charity drive. Indeed, the DBS Internet Banking on-line donation method ranks as one of the most innovative and modern methods of charity fund raising." said Gregory Vijayendran, President of Club Rainbow.

"It would seem that not only banking services but also charity drives have to keep up with rapidly changing information technology."

DBS Internet Banking's charity drive was carried out in two phases. The first, between September 22 and December 26, 2000, was for first-time users for Internet Banking, who could choose to donate their adopted Clover Bears to Club Rainbow or keep the bears themselves. The second phase, between November 22, 2000 and February 14, 2001, gave existing Internet Banking users the opportunity and convenience of donating cash to Club Rainbow, using the bill payment service. The top 50 donors will also receive a limited edition "Clover Bear Family" set.

To create awareness of this charity drive, DBS Internet Banking also used a combination of promotional channels like its own website, press advertisements, magazines, SBS buses, publicity in branches and direct mailers to DBS Bank customers.

DBS Bank is the flagship bank of DBS Group Holdings in Singapore. It is ranked among the top banks in Asia, and is the 70th largest in the world. A recognised leader in Internet banking and e-commerce, DBS is the market leader in Singapore-dollar loans and deposits, and equity fund raising. Beyond Singapore, DBS Group serves corporate, institutional and retail customers through subsidiaries in Hong Kong, The Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, and international banking services through a network of 13 overseas branches and offices.